Congratulations! The
UPS man delivered your new Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker today—the one
you bought using the
Amazon link on this website. You
ripped open the box like a kid on Christmas morning and
assembled it in just 20 minutes.

So let's fire-up this
bad boy and cook us some chicken & ribs, or maybe a couple of pork
butts!

But Wait...Shouldn't
I Season My New WSM Before Using It?

After all, that's what the "big
boys" do with their custom-built barbecue rigs, right?

I am here to tell you
that...wait for it...

No, you don't
have to season your new Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker before you
start cooking with it.

Why do the "big boys"
rub down the inside of their pits with peanut oil or bacon grease and fire them up to season them? Because their pits are
made of raw steel, and much like a cast iron skillet, that raw steel will rust
without a protective
coating of seasoning.

Your shiny, new Weber
Bullet
is made of steel with a porcelain enamel finish inside
and out. If the custom-built pit is like a cast iron skillet, the WSM is
like a piece of Le Creuset cookware—it doesn't need seasoning and will provide many years of excellent service
without rusting.

But
Wait...I Heard The WSM Runs Hot When New. That Means I Should Season It,
Right?

According to Weber, a
Smokey Mountain Cooker may run up to 50°F hotter when new. The shiny
interior surfaces reflect heat back into the cooker, resulting in higher
than normal cooking temperatures. After 2-3 uses, a layer of smoke and
grease builds up on the interior. As a result, it becomes less
reflective and absorbs more heat, which radiates out of the cooker and
results in lower cooking temperatures.

However, it should be
noted that not all new WSM owners notice this 50°F difference. Besides, 50°F is just
not that big a deal. If your new Weber Bullet is running 275°F instead of 225°F,
you're still operating at a good barbecuing temperature. Anything in the
range of 225-275°F, or even as high as 300°F, is fine, especially during the first
2-3 runs with your new cooker.

But
Wait...Shouldn't I Burn-Out The Scary Manufacturing Residue Before Using
My WSM?

Do you see any
scary manufacturing residue inside your new Weber Bullet? The worst I've
ever seen is dust from the cardboard packaging. Grab a damp cloth
and wipe it off.

But
Wait...Shouldn't I Get The Hang Of Operating My New WSM Before Cooking
Any Meat?

OK, this may be a
good reason to fire-up your Weber Bullet without actually cook
anything. Leave the top vent fully open and play with the bottom vent
settings to increase and decrease the cooker temperature. You'll get a
sense of just how easy it is to control the temperature in your new WSM.

I Still Want To Season My New WSM!

Harry Soo & Chris Allingham
Morgan Hill No Bull BBQ Cookoff, May 2010

If you insist on
seasoning your new WSM, follow these tips from Harry Soo, the
pitmaster of the Slap Yo' Daddy
Barbecue Team. Harry knows a thing or two about Weber Bullets—he
uses them exclusively in competition.

As you can imagine, barbecue
competitors like Harry are looking for every advantage they can get over
their competition, and they want precise temperature control in their
cookers. That's why Harry seasons his new WSMs and uses an
automatic
temperature control system during competitions.

I think this
seasoning approach is over-the-top for a backyard barbecuer like
me, but you be the judge and decide for yourself.

Seasoning A WSM For Competition

Wrap the water
pan with aluminum foil for easy clean-up later—but do not add any
water to the pan.

Fill the
charcoal chamber to the top with hot Kingsford Charcoal Briquets.
Open all the vents fully and let the cooker run as hot as possible.
This is Harry's "burn off any manufacturing residue" step.

When the fire
goes out and the ashes are cool, dump out the ashes.

Fill the
charcoal chamber about 1/2 full with unlit Kingsford Charcoal Briquets, then use a Weber chimney starter to light about 1/2 chimney (approximately 50 briquettes) and spread the hot
coals over the unlit ones. Open the top vent fully and adjust the
bottom vents to achieve an operating temperature of 275°F.

Put the top
cooking grate in place and load it up with any kind of meat that
will generate grease. Harry suggests bacon, pork fat, chicken
parts, or any fatty scraps you can find. Place two fist-sized chunks
of smoke wood on the fire to generate smoke.

When the fire
goes out and the ashes are cool, discard the meat and dump out the
ashes.

Repeat the
greasy meat cooking process at least twice before barbecuing any
meat on your WSM that you want to eat.

The Virtual Weber Bullet is your best source for Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker information and discussion on the Web. Popular with competition barbecue teams, the WSM is an easy-to-use water smoker that's equally at home in the backyard. See the WSM and its component parts; get recipes, usage tips, and modification ideas; check-out BBQ-related resources; and discuss the WSM with owners and enthusiasts in our online forums.

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